Classes have become technologically advanced, and this advancement has introduced various ways of making lectures interactive. Now, the traditional methods of teaching are getting replaced by modern methods. Earlier, students read through books, but today they are no more interested in flipping the pages of books and notebooks. Instead, they are more engrossed in tablets and computers when taking classes. As a result, teachers also need to find new and improved ways of imparting knowledge to students. They also need to upgrade their teaching skills to reach out to more students at a time. That’s why teachers are using social media platforms to teach and communicate with their students.
Among all the platforms used to impart knowledge, blogs are gaining popularity. Educators as using blogging as a tool to provide an enriched learning experience to their students. But before understanding more about blogging as a tool for teaching, let us know what is a blog.
A blog is a virtual journal that is shared with an audience. They cover various topics and are informal or relaxed. Writers can express their views and concerns in a blog. Moreover, readers can also participate in discussions in the form of comments.
How teachers can use blogs as a tool for effective teaching
- If you are a teacher, you can use blog posts to share relevant and crucial information with your students. Try to provide some value to them through your posts. Moreover, add to their existing knowledge base. You can also share important content and resources to help your students with their assignments. Blogs are also effective in showing the work of your students and encouraging them to perform better.
2. You can reach out to parents through blogging. Also, you can make them understand your teaching style and how you help students in the class.
3. Blogs also inform your students about the happenings in the classroom and what they can expect in the next lecture. Students can prepare themselves for upcoming classes by reading blogs.
4. Applaud and encourage your students by sharing their works on your blog. You can encourage them to make informational content, presentations, videos, and other fresh content. This will help them understand the importance of relevant information. Moreover, they will be motivated to perform better in the future.
5. Use blogging as a way to assess your students’ performance. Also, ask them questions or make them participate in quizzes to measure their learning. Moreover, you can ask your students to prepare a presentation on the topics covered in the classroom. You can add your comments at the end to give your students an idea of their performance.
Key Considerations When Using Blogging as a Tool for Teaching
You may need to incorporate a few changes in the course plan before using blogging as a tool for effective teaching. Here are the three most important decisions to make before teaching with blogs.
- The dynamics between classroom teaching and blogging
Blogs are great to express your views and ideas. However, it should act as an extension of the classroom teaching and writing process. You must help your students understand what are you expecting after incorporating blogging into the classroom. The blog work must contribute to the course’s overall learning goals.
2. The blogging platform to be used
Helping students learn through blogging may impact their learning curve. Moreover, choosing a platform for designing the interaction structure takes time. You must provide a seamless and easy-to-interact platform to your students. Making such crucial decisions may consume a significant portion of your time.
3. To keep students’ blogs as public or private
Whether to keep the blog public or private is a crucial decision. If you want other members to comment, view, and interact with your course blog, you can make your blog public. However, first, understand the rules of your institution and determine if photos on blog pages and students' writeup are releasable to the public.
Other considerations when incorporating blogging
Some crucial considerations when teaching students with blogs are:
- Articulate clear rules
Set clear rules for yourself and your students. Communicate the expectations for the blog before you begin using it as a teaching tool. Most students do not know how to write blogs for academic purposes. Therefore, communicate your ideas with them clearly and help them understand your vision of incorporating blogging into the academic curriculum.
2. Practice writing
Your students may not know how to write a blog. Moreover, they may stuff the content with unnecessary information. Therefore, provide proper guidelines and help them improve their writing skills. Ask them to cover various topics to hone their writing and learning skills.
3. Follow rules
After publishing content, students can interact with the content through comments and likes. When inculcating blogging into the learning environment, teach your students how to comment well. You can use examples to teach this skill to your students.
4. Discuss plagiarism and use it in teaching
Discuss plagiarism with your students and how they can produce well-researched and plagiarism-free content. You can use this as a teaching moment to discuss copyright laws and the practice of using copyright-free images.
5. Acknowledge the time required to release a valuable content
Building a blog takes time because it requires proper research before writing on a topic. Adding a writing component to the classroom curriculum will increase the load for you and your students. However, you must encourage your students to do proper research when writing valuable content.
When blogs are used as a medium of classroom teaching, choosing the best platform for publishing blogs is crucial. Therefore, research well to understand which platform will suit your teaching method.
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